Allen Toussaint's The Bright Mississippi was released to great critical acclaim, followed by an equally lauded residency at New York's Village Vanguard, and a string of performances in Japan. The Wall Street Journal writes that, with the album, Toussaint keeps alive "the tradition of distinctive New Orleans pianists, within which he clearly belongs; and of jazz, which was never far from the surface of his music ... He simply possesses each tune fully, courtesy of rolling chords, well-placed tremolos, notable restraint and the defining force of his musical presence." Blurt talks to Toussaint about the project and trusting producer Joe Henry's choice of what he calls "these wonderful songs."
Allen Toussaint's The Bright Mississippi was released last month on Nonesuch to great critical acclaim, followed by an equally lauded residency last week at New York's Village Vanguard, and, now, performances this week in Japan.
The Wall Street Journal's Larry Blumenfeld writes that, with The Bright Mississippi, Toussaint keeps alive "the tradition of distinctive New Orleans pianists, within which he clearly belongs; and of jazz, which was never far from the surface of his music."
Blumenfeld credits the album's producer, Joe Henry, with assembling "a stellar yet disparate group" of musicians for the album, including trumpeter Nicholas Payton, guitarist Marc Ribot, clarinetist Don Byron, and drummer Jay Bellerose. Playing off the latter's understated rhythmic contribution, "That's all Mr. Toussaint needs, so strong is the current in his playing," says the reviewer. "He simply possesses each tune fully, courtesy of rolling chords, well-placed tremolos, notable restraint and the defining force of his musical presence. As is true of his sartorial splendor, Mr. Toussaint's music is tidy without losing its edge."
Read the complete album review at online.wsj.com.
In his Arts Journal blog "ListenGood," focused on the music of New Orleans, Blumenfeld reviews last Wednesday's later set at the Vanguard, which he describes as "wondrous." He writes:
Hearing pianist Allen Toussaint lead his "Bright Mississippi" band at the Village Vanguard last week, I was taken aback by what I suppose I already knew: Completely aside from his abilities as a hit-making New Orleans songwriter and an entertaining frontman, Toussaint is a straight-up piano player to be reckoned with, and a jazz musician to the bone ... I can think of only two other musicians I've heard conjure such a mixture of musicianship and intimacy at the Vanguard: Bebo Valdés and Shirley Horn.
Read his concert review at artsjournal.com.
---
Blurt's Jennifer Kelly spoke to Toussaint for an extensive interview about the project, and how it is that, despite being surrounded by his hometown's jazz music throughout his life, it is only now, with The Bright Mississippi, that he set to performing what he calls "these wonderful songs."
It was during the recording sessions for Our New Orleans, the 2005 Nonesuch record to benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina, for which Toussaint and producer Joe Henry recorded the song "Tipitina," that Henry conceived of the new project. He tells Kelly:
What came through the speakers, though, bore little resemblance to the song all of us in attendance knew. It sounded instead like a history lesson in American musical alchemy. I mean to say that in less than three minutes, the performance referenced European classical music, tango, pre-war jazz, parlor folk, and show tunes-all articulated with an eye out for the blues. It sounded like nothing I'd ever heard before and like everything I'd ever heard.
For his part, Toussaint had complete faith in his producer, even in tackling a repertoire he had never approached before. "I would have tried anything he said," Toussaint reports, "and I'm so glad he tried this."
Read the full article at blurt-online.com.
---
For upcoming tour dates, visit nonesuch.com/on-tour.
- Log in to post comments
